Softball hall of fame class a stellar one

Bobby Jones, left, and Bruce Evans are two of this year’s entrants into the Alabama Amateur Softball Hall of Fame.

Dusty Compton

By Becky Hopf

Published: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 11:43 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | On the field, they were rivals. Off the field, they were, and remain, part of a brotherhood that starred in a golden age of men’s softball, where hundreds flocked to their games and players became lifelong friends.

On Jan. 19, Northport’s Bobby Jones and Coker’s Bruce Evans will be two among a class of eight that includes former Tuscaloosan Hershel Lake, who will be inducted into the Alabama Amateur Softball Hall of Fame. The event will be held at the Jerry Belk Activity Center, the new home to the hall.

“It was one of the most enjoyable times of my life,” said Jones, 62, who retired in 2006 after 30 years as Tuscaloosa County High’s basketball coach. “It’s very humbling. There are probably a lot more deserving people than me. To have the ceremony and now the Hall of Fame in Tuscaloosa makes it even more special. Tuscaloosa was a hotbed for softball, so it’s fitting that the hall of fame would move here.”

Parks Burgin is the chairman of the selection committee and played on teams with, and against, both Jones and Evans.

“Bobby was the glue that held the team together. He was really steady. He was a good defensive ball player, don’t get me wrong. And he was a real good hitter. But his character was worth more to the team, in my opinion, than his athletic ability, which was considerable. He was the kind of guy who settled a team down if they got too excited. He was just a solid, steady ball player,” Burgin said. “On top of all that with the softball, his character was super. He coached at County High for years, worked with those young people. That means a whole lot, too. When you have an outstanding citizen to go with an outstanding ball player, that’s hard to beat. That’s one of the reasons I voted for him, the whole shooting match.”

Jones is being inducted as a fast-pitch player. He started playing in the 1970s, beginning with Wayne Smith and Miller’s Grocery. From the mid-70s to the early ’80s, the former shortstop played for John Plott, advancing to nationals in 1982. He’s also in the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame, along with his mother, the late Jessie Jones.

“It was just a great time,” said Jones, who like Evans and others, was recruited to play on teams. “We traveled all over the Southeast. The fellowship — I’m still very good friends with lots of my teammates and players from other teams. It was fast-paced, competitive. Back then fast pitch softball was very popular. I have a lot of great memories, great friends. That’s what I take away from that time.”

Evans, Burgin said, was a great player who continues to make an impact.

“Bruce was a really good shortstop, a good second baseman. Great speed. He was a very unselfish player. Bruce could play anywhere and do anything,” Burgin said. “He’s been so instrumental in keeping the West Alabama association going. He’s served as president and has been treasurer for 15 or 16 years now. Bruce is going in as more than just a player. He probably played in 10 or 11 national tournaments, and did extremely well, but he’s been so instrumental in our West Alabama Hall of Fame. He’s helped promote softball from the day he started playing to yesterday. Softball is more than bats and balls and playing the game. It adds all together.”

Evans, 58, still treasures the game ball his teammates presented him after he was MVP of a tournament that included a 16-inning win against Jones’ team when Evans hit the winning RBI. He started playing in 1978 for Norman Crowe and Holiday Motors, among others. He played until 2000 and advanced to nationals, he estimated, six times. They’d play more than 100 games a summer, sometimes seven or eight a day.

“It was a special time,” Evans said. “It’s a great honor to go into the hall of fame with so many great ballplayers who are already there. To me, it shouldn’t be about me but about my whole team. We had so many great ballplayers on our team that surrounded us, that helped me, helped each other, do so well.”